Ten C's Teaching Tips and Suggested Lesson "Hikes"

Big Tips:

This CD was designed to be explored by students with a teacher by their side. If you're not using it this way, you're missing a neat opportunity!

This CD was designed to be used for MORE THAN ONE WEEK by the same class. However, there are some "one class period hikes" that are suggested below.

Almost every activity and learning area in the CD has discussion questions built-in to stop and ponder --if you desire. Be selective. We didn't put them there thinking everyone should stop at everything. Pick the questions you'd most like to have them deal with and write them on a worksheet or the board in the class.

To copy any PORTION of this document, drag the desired text with your mouse while holding the mouse button. Then select EDIT | COPY from your Browser's taskbar above. Then open up a wordprocessing document and select PASTE. This will allow you to create your own lesson plans and worksheets without having to retype everything!

What the CD doesn't cover....

In the opening introduction Moses brings your students up-to-date on how the Hebrews got to Sinai and received the Ten Commandments. The CD doesn't recount the pre-Red Sea story and only touches on the golden calf in Moses' intro. It also doesn't it say anything about the next 40 years of wandering. The Ten Commandments CD focuses on learning the commandments themselves, the concept of Law and obedience.

Two other software programs cover Exodus and wandering in the Wilderness quite well: Life of Moses and Walking in Their Sandals Bible Atlas. Neither of these programs has much to say about the Commandments. You can read more about these two other programs and see my lesson plans for using them by looking these titles up at www.sundaysoftware.com/software.htm

Wow...there's a lot here!

There is far more on the journey up Mt. Sinai than can be fully explored and discussed in one sitting. This is intentional! However, by picking and choosing your way up the mountain's activities, you can get through the main parts of the CD in one class period. The main difference between doing it in one period and stretching it over several is the amount of time you take discussing hotspot content and questions posed by the hotspots.

In my first class we "grazed" over content, showing them basic navigational techniques and where things were. They were happy enough surveying each level, taking in the view at the Summit, and get dizzy spinning the photobubbles. In our second class, we slowed down and were more methodical taking one of the suggested hikes, bypassing some content and focusing on other. Except for a few items, all content can be clicked past.

The CD for older students: Ten Commandments was really designed for older children and youth. Not everything reads aloud. If you're a teacher in a hurry to get through the CD make a list of the areas you want them to explore. In my "Hikes" and worksheet examples below, you can see how I created a list of questions they had to find the answers to.

The CD for younger students -ages 5 through 9: They were happy to watch Moses, pet the camel, and make things pop-up. We had a great discussion about "what God's voice really sounds like" while rolling over various Commandments on the tablets which pop up out of the Ark in the Monastery. Reading the study notes that show up on the Ark, however, was over their heads. I have more notes on this below.....

Questions are presented in most areas following a multimedia presentations. These are for older students to discuss and move the lesson deeper into reflection. Younger students may need the teacher to reinterpret them. There are a lot of them salted throughout the program and it is not expected that students or teachers will want to or be able to discuss all of them.

You can see the text of these questions in the OUTLINE document.

There are two "don't miss" areas...

The Bridge Over Chaos Canyon in the first photobubble, and the I Am Yahweh 3-D music video found at the Summit. The Bridge cannot be bypassed. It must be crossed to move to the second photobubble. You can find the "open door icon" entrance to the Bridge just to the right of the mule's rear-end (or in the greenery left of the mountain if you'd rather remember it THAT way). The I Am Yahweh music video can be found by clicking on the sleeping bags at the Summit.

Where are the Ten Commandments?

The text of the Ten Commandments are presented three different times and ways along the journey, one in each photobubble. In the Monastery in the bottom photobubble students can see them and click on them to pull up short study notes. In the second photobubble students reassemble the Ten Commandments. At the Summit Chapel, students rewrite the commandments.

Before you begin....

It is recommended that you and your class read from the Bible the Mt. Sinai portions of the Exodus story prior to using this CD. Exodus 19 is a rather brief chapter. It covers their arrival at the Mountain and Moses' meeting with God. Exodus 20 is also rather brief. It includes the Ten Commandments.

You may want to have a print-out of the Ten Commandment Tablets as you start the program. You can copy our Ten C's Tablet graphic from www.sundaysoftware.com/ten/images/tencommands.jpg or print out the tablets from the Summit Chapel prior to the beginning of class. Set your printer to "draft" or "economy" mode to ensure it will print (test the printing first if you will be using that area). Some computers/printers may not be able to handle this print function. That's why we offer the same document at our website.

Have a map of the Exodus route in your classroom. Check out the Exodus story map in the CD Bible Atlas - Walking in Their Sandals. Sunday School Software has a free worksheet for this map at http://www.sundaysoftware.com/sandals.htm. Moses shows a satellite image of the Sinai Pennisula in his office presentation.

Print out a copy of the Ten Commandments Outline and familiarize yourself where things are. Remember...to cross Chaos Canyon you must click on the Shipwreck, the Chaos Canyon Sign and the Promised Land sign.

If your experience strange noises in any of the animations/videos or poor photobubble performance, consult our Ten C's Techie Tips: www.sundaysoftware.com/tennotes.htm

Using this CD with Younger Students:

The Ten Commandments CD was designed with a 9 to 18 year old in mind. However, a good deal of the CDs activities are quite usable by younger children.

I had my first and second graders in for a whirl and they thoroughly enjoyed meeting Moses and "hiking" around the mountain. They needed extra time to navigate with the mouse. With one or two children I put my hand ON-TOP of theirs to help them navigate and click (don't take the mouse from them).

In the Bottom photobubble younger children will enjoy one or two of the Monastery's videos. The questions at the end of each video will need read aloud and perhaps rephrased or skipped altogether. We read a few of the Bridge Over Chaos Canyon's "panels" to them, but some of the concepts were over their heads. What they DID notice was the missing plank! ...and were thrilled to make it across and oohed and aaahed at the rainbow behind the cross. Great discussion opportunities.

The Leap of Faith scripture texts needed some explaining to elementary children. Ask them to define "righteousness," "put right," and "redemption." We chose to use this familiar vocabulary because of the important these verses and specific words have in the Christian message.

The Second "Way Up" photobubble may be skipped for this age group altogether. The Idol" presentations probably won't be understandable to younger children. If you have time and they can read a bit they will enjoy reassembling the Ten Commandments in the Way Up photobubble. My little kids did just fine on the Cliff Climb quiz and thought it was great fun.

At the Summit they enjoyed the vista and we talked about how Moses must have felt up there. They enjoyed hearing "God's song" and laughed really hard at the guy with the backpack's funny comment about "seeing his house from here." We didn't go into the Chapel but it's rewriting of the commandments will work fine for younger kids as long as they have an older child who can type for them.

All in all....I wouldn't hesitate to use theprogram selectively with younger kids AT AL L...... as long as you have a teacher or assistant at EVERY computer like we did.

The Chapel Summit's Rewriting Activity...

Inside the Chapel at the summit is a set of stone tablets your students can type their own commandments on. Instructions are on the screen and Moses has put some examples of variant commandment versions on the Clipboard (just click it).

The Chapel Summit "rewrite" of the Ten Commandments may take 10 minutes or so to complete. If you're rushed for time, find more time. Barring that, I suggest that you split up various commandments between students (who can be thinking of their version of the commandment and be ready to type when it is their turn) or have different computers working on different commandments to rewrite (if you have more than one copy of the CD).

Another option Moses didn't think to put on his clipboard is rewriting is to state each commandments in a POSITIVE WAY. Thus, instead of "You shall not murder" your students might write "Help Protect Human Life," and "Always Tell the Truth."

You can also print out a blank set of the tablets. fyi.... Moses' picture prints out next to the tablets and the printout will leave plenty of space below the Tablets and Moses for notes and other stuff.

The boombox has several songs in it, just click the box or speaker to change songs. One of the selections has no sound so they can work in silence.

**Warning: Clicking the Trash can will ERASE everything typed on the screen.

To order more of the Ten Commandments CD or see our other great Christian software offerings, visit www.sundaysoftware.com or call 1-800-678-1948 and request our catalog. This document was printed from www.sundaysoftware.com/tenoutline.htm

Copyright Sunday Software Inc. All Rights Reserved. For local teaching use only. Printed from www.sundaysoftware.com/tentips.htm